Celebrating Israel's Independence

[mongo_jones]

i had no idea daniel rogov was such a big name in israeli culinary writing--then again i know very little about israeli food (as my contributions to this thread doubtless make clear). the first i heard of him was on this thread and if not for helena's intervention jason's "bogus" comment would have been my lasting impression. i know jason didn't mean it insultingly--he was responding to one aspect of one article--but i am glad that daniel is here in person, and look forward to learning from him.

how long do people think it will take before egullet sucks daniel in completely?

[Pan]

Mr. Rogov, it's nice to see you on the site. I read Ha'aretz's English-language version online just about every day - mainly to check the latest events in Israel and the rest of the Middle East, but I do also look at your work from time to time and have even posted a link or two in the Africa and Middle East Forum.

Welcome!

[Daniel Rogov]

Jason, Hi...

You commented that "the Israelis take their breakfasts VERY seriously". Although the huge (some might even say humongous) Israeli breakfast is still offered at hotels and on the kibbutzim, an increasing number of Israelis have fallen into one of two habits - a croissant and coffee at a neighborhood cafe, or Kellog's or a local brand of breakfast cereal with milk at their home breakfast table. For better or for worse, the days when most Israelis would sit down at their table wih two tomatoes, two cucumbers, a bunch of parsley and spend half an hour cutting those into miniscule cubes before tossing them together with lemon juice and olive oil.

By the way, to support my earlier argument about "Israeli cuisine", such salads are known here as "salat aravi" - that is to say "Arabic salads" and that because they originated in the villages of Arab farmers throughout the land.

Best,

Rogov

[richw]

Mr. Rogov,

As a regular reader of your forum and a daily visitor to eGullet, I'd like to welcome you! I'm glad you're here.

Rich

[Jason Perlow]

You commented that "the Israelis take their breakfasts VERY seriously". Although the huge (some might even say humongous) Israeli breakfast is still offered at hotels and on the kibbutzim, an increasing number of Israelis have fallen into one of two habits - a croissant and coffee at a neighborhood cafe, or Kellog's or a local brand of breakfast cereal with milk at their home breakfast table.

Has the Starbucks craze hit Israel yet? Or does Israel have its own Starbucks equivalent?

[Jason Perlow]

Never mind, it looks like you just closed them all:

Delek calls it a day for Starbucks Israel

You won't be missing much, I can assure you!

[bloviatrix]

Jason, as you know, Starbucks is no longer doing business in Israel. But, you can get kosher Burger King and McDonald's.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Jason,  as you know, Starbucks is no longer doing business in Israel.  But, you can get kosher Burger King and McDonald's.

On my trip there recently, we ate kosher Whoppers in the Jerusalem forest behind Yad Vashem (it was the Fourth of July BTW) and a rabbi who was on our tour, wore his Burger King crown as we all cheered wildly! it was his first Whopper apparently and he was giddy with delight!

Edited May 2, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Jason,  as you know, Starbucks is no longer doing business in Israel.  But, you can get kosher Burger King and McDonald's.

What ever happened to MacDavid's? Or Burger Ranch?

Actually, in 1990, Wendy's was all the rage in Tel Aviv. I remember the Dinzengoff location fondly.

[Jason Perlow]

Wait, Daniel Rogov has an answer on the web for that too. Damn you Rogov!

God Bless McDonald's

Still, when in Israel, I felt the need to try the Israeli chains even though Wendy's and other American franchise restaurants were starting up. As an American secular Jew touring the country, I was very interested in the Israeli take on fast food and how it was adapted for a largely Kosher audience.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Aw wait, Rogov has an answer on the web for that too. Damn you Rogov!

God Bless McDonald's

Rogov is the Ministry of Israeli Information Bureau Chief (on food!) ....

[bloviatrix]

I have very fond memories of Burger Ranch.

[Swisskaese]

Starbucks bit the dust a year ago. We actually have some very nice local chains Ilan's, Cafe Hillel, Arcaffe (I think this one is local) and a few others. I buy coffee at Ilan's. We also have the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, but I am sure this is not a local chain. I hang out a a few "Mom and Pop" cafes in Tel Aviv. If you are really nice and are coming to Israel I will reveal them in a personal email.

Burger Ranch is still around. Wendy's bit the dust. Burger King in Dizengoff Center closed. Mind you, I am not upset. I don't like fast food burger joints.

I agree with Daniel's take on Israeli breakfast, most of us have become very lazy. In all fairness, most of us work in hi-tech and barely have time to kiss our spouses and children goodnight. I travel quite a bit. Although, in the last month I have had a bit of a break.

I try to make an Israeli breakfast every Saturday. It is our way to relax and read the paper, listen to classical music and enjoy life. I buy labane from our green grocer. His mother makes it. And we buy other cheeses from a stand at the Dizengoff Food Fair. We have amazing artisan bread from a number of bakeries and I make an omelette with fresh herbs. Oh, I almost forgot, red guava jam!!!! Then, I cut up peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes (for David, I'm allergic to raw tomato), zero.

[Behemoth]

how long do people think it will take before egullet sucks daniel in completely?

I hope it happens soon! I came across his website about a year ago when doing a search on Lebanese wine reviews, and it has been bookmarked and frequently visited ever since. eGullet rocks.

[Daniel Rogov]

Interesting to note that not too many foreign fast-food or cafe chains have succeeded in Israel. Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, Kentucky Fried Chicken and others have all managed to go belly-up in fairly short order. The case of Starbucks in Israel was a special one, in my opinion caused more by hubris than anything else.

When the company first opened it was with a massive advertising campaign that implied that Starbucks had come to Israel to teach us how to drink good coffee. That was not well received in an area where coffee has been a way of life for far hundreds of years before Starbucks opened its first branch in Seattle. More than that, as Swisskaese says (I do like that name!), they forgot that when it comes to coffee, the country already had several well-loved individual and chain coffee shops (Arcaffe, Ilan's Cuppa Joe, and of course the famous and beloved (despite his name) coffee Nazi of Sheinkin Street). And finally, to add insult to injury, despite hiring a well known local chef as their consultant, they insisted on serving sandwiches that while popular in the USA are somewhat scorned in the Middle-East. As might be said - hubris kills.

Best,

Rogov

[Swisskaese]

The Coffee Nazi is great! Daniel, you are giving away all of the secret haunts! Just kidding with you!

I am glad that you like my name. You can read more about in my bio. I used to live in Switzerland and I really dislike what Americans call Swiss cheese (Emmenthaler). It was a joke among my friends and family, so the name has stuck ever since.

Edited May 2, 2004 by Swisskaese (log)

[Jason Perlow]

When the company first opened it was with a massive advertising campaign that implied that Starbucks had come to Israel to teach us how to drink good coffee.

Some of my best memories were of playing Shesh Besh and drinking turkish coffee during the mornings at a little place in the Shuk in Tel Aviv.

In my opinion drinking Turkish/Arabic coffee IS drinking "real coffee".

[Gifted Gourmet]

In my opinion drinking Turkish/Arabic coffee IS drinking "real coffee".

This is brought to you by the makers of Prilosec OTC .....

[Jason Perlow]

The Coffee Nazi is great!

Wait, is his store really called the Coffee Nazi or is that what people call him, like we call the Soup Nazi (who became famous because of the bit about him in the Seinfeld TV show) in NYC?

That sounds like a horrible name to call someone, especially in Israel!

[Swisskaese]

I think it may be called something else, but you will have to ask Daniel. I know it as the Coffee Nazi. You are talking about a country that has places called:

Meat Bar

Willy Dog

Ben Wa Bar

and so forth

I realise that these are not in the same category as Coffee Nazi, but subtley is not an Israeli strong point.

Edited May 2, 2004 by Swisskaese (log)

[Daniel Rogov]

Chuckling. The name of the shop is "Siach Cafe" (translates to "Coffee Bush" or "Coffee Shrub" and the name was affectionately given to the owner because he has a certain set of rules by which, if one fails to abide you will findyourself being rushed rather quickly to finish whatever you may have ordered.

Truth is this is one of the most delightful places in Tel Aviv, the owner importing his own coffee, making his own blends, blending by methods he claims to be uniquely his and refusing to share them. The term was indeed adapted from Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi". As one of my readers put it nicely once "some may see it as peculiar that they have to justify their right to become a valued and served customer at a cafe". Let's keep in mind the Seinfeld line (or was it Kramer) saying to the Soup Nazi - "I am the only one who understands you - you SUFFER for your soup"

When in Tel Aviv for sure visit Sheinken Street, have a snack first at Orna and Ella and then coffee at Siach Cafe. One of the truly fun ways of getting to know the city.

Best,

Rogov

[marlena spieler]

Last time I was in Israel was several years ago when I was writing a felafel piece for Saveur mag. and inbetween it was coffee, and markets and pickles! I love sheinkin, love orna v' ella, wish I was on that el al plane right now with a group of food obsessed folks to feed them the good things that many outsiders do not know of.....the little foodie secrets.....

Seriously, daniel and swisskaese, I'm serious about organizing a foodie focused press trip to Israel.

Unfortunately, the When part of the project has too much to do with the political situation. But I"m waiting happily, and am ready to eat that felafel on ten minutes notice! Maybe the time will be soon.....I am hoping.

x Marlena

[aliwaks]

there was a B-day party for isreal in Rittenhouse Square here in Philly on Tuesday,

And i will admit I was clueless....but I was walking home that morning slightly hungover from a friends house where I had spent the night and I wanted either a felafel or a schwarma and couldn't decide how far to walk to get one or the other or whether or not I was going to just give up and get something else and there was thsi birthday party for Isreal in teh squae just as I had decided not to walk to the felafel guy on 17th (didn;t really love his felafel enough to deviate)

And there was a vendor!!!!!! a felafel/schwarma vendor!!!!! so I got a schwarma, which was YUMM he did his mitzvah by giving me 2 felafel balls (excellent felafels better than the other guy) while I was waiting and I was sated and happy it was a little tiny tiny tiny nice thing for a Jewish Girl that morning.